Democracy Cafe is a 501(c) 3 nonprofit that strives to come to a greater understanding of the nature and future of democracy, and to influence its nature and future through such signature endeavors as Constitution Cafe and Socrates Cafe (and more to come) that cultivate thoughtfulness, inventive and imaginative reasonableness and inclusiveness in an age of polarization.

We aim to expand the public debate around the globe about the possibilities for democratic governance and civic participation, and hold that genuine self-determination and enfranchisement hinges on continual participation and input of all citizens, including our children and youth.

A big part of the way we expand this debate is by changing the nature of how we go about debating. To that end, we promote a unique form of empathic civil discourse -- of a sort that cultivates those ‘dialogue virtues’ needed in order to foment far more inclusive civic discourse. In our view, civil-mindedness must be a springboard to greater civic-mindedness, and so we aim to inspire people of all walks of life to come together and discover uncommon common ground, so that over time an entire citizenry is inspired and equipped to contribute to democratic vibrancy on both local and global scales.